Our forefathers would begin preparations for haymaking in the early months of the year. They would often top dress the field with manure which would serve to encourage growth and abundance. This would normally have been carried out using a working farm horse pulling a cart that was carrying the manure. In some cases the work would have been carried out using manpower alone.

In the summer months when the yield was plentiful the process of bringing in the hay begun. Using a scythe was insanely back breaking work and it is what farmers in Ireland used to take in the crop. A scythe was a custom built tool that could be found on every farm across the land. See our Scythe Cutting Competition.

When the hay was eventually gathered and cropped it was left to dry out. In those days you could count on seasonal weather! After periods of time the hay would be turned so the bottom half enjoyed as much sunshine as the top.  The drying out process usually lasted weeks. It would then be pitch forked into haystacks which would have hay ropes twisted around the stacks to keep them secure.